Saturday, December 29, 2007

Other Religions?

Have you ever wondered about how other religions got started? or what their doctrines and beliefs are? Well, I have. So, I thought that I would do a few posts on some of the more controversial religions. This is meant to be a conversation starter, so please feel free to post a response. . . especially if you are a part of one of these religions. Any responses that are mean spirited or hateful, will be deleted. . . so be NICE!

The first one I was curious about was FLDS, since I recently read a book about a woman who left them. I have looked up lots of information on them and am surprised by their beliefs... Especially since they claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. I would love to hear from you if you are a member of this particular religion and could shed some light on the subject for me.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Weight Loss Mom

For so long I have heard people say that their Number 1 or Number 2 goal for the New year, was to lose weight. Well, I am getting a jump start on that goal for myself. I decided to do a 9 day cleanse and see how much I can lose BEFORE the New year. That means I will have less to lose next year. LOL!

If you want to see how I am doing it or would like more information, just click on this link.

I will be posting my before photos with my results photos at the end of the 9 days.

So, stay tuned for more. . . !

Friday, November 16, 2007

I'm working with a Multi-Millionaire

Yes, that's what I said! I now am working with Dani Johnson as my success coach. She has trained up several thousand leaders in business. It doesn't matter what type of business you have, she is AWESOME! Out of all of the seminars I have been to, she is by far the BEST!!! She is the only one that keeps it real. You can click on this link and sign up on her website for FREE training! She has an awesome website and she truly has a humble heart. . . something you rarely see in a business seminar!

Dani teaches business principles that are directly from God's word! WOW, talk about a wonderful weekend!!! It was so good to hear someone that could really TEACH you something that you didn't already know and show you HOW to achieve a 6 or 7 figure income, without a bunch of silly hype. I know that I was truly impacted by several things that she had to say. You could feel the Holy Spirit in the room with us. We had training all day Saturday & all day Sunday.

Saturday night, we got to listen to an awesome Worship band (Isa & Nina) and Dani spoke on the "Funnel of Favor". WOW, an even greater night!!! People were healed, people rededicated their lives to Christ, and there were others that came to Christ that had never known HIM!

Now, seriously, how many business leaders do you know that would do that?!? Well, I am proud to say I know ONE!!! I'm telling you. . . if there is any way you can get to her next seminar in January, then you NEED to go. It really doesn't matter what kind of business you have, she can redirect you back to scriptural principles. She also teaches you how to determine what type of personality you are and how to interact with the other three types in life, business, and the REAL world.

Well, needless to say, my trip to Dallas last weekend was VERY PRODUCTIVE!!! If you want to hear more. . . email me.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Travel!

Oh the joys of travel. . . finally got everything packed late last night for the trip today. I am really looking forward to it all, now. I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of flying, but since it will be a non-stop flight, it really shouldn't be too bad. I tell you, I am so blessed to have a mom that is so supportive. She is also going on the trip with me! This seminar is going to benefit us both! I just know it!

So, when I get back, I will tell you all about it. But until then. . . blessings to you ALL!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

God is SOOOOOO Good!

Just another day. . .maybe to some, but not to me! I am so excited, because today I got to see God answer another one of my prayers! I have been praying for quite some time that I would be able to go to one of Dani Johnson's seminars.

Now, let me tell you a little about Dani. . . When she was only 23, she found herself homeless & alone, living out of her car with only $2.03 to her name. This is a woman who was emotionally & physically beaten down in life by not only her family, but the family of God. Within 2 years, she was able to rise to success and made her first Million!

She has mad a dramatic lifechange and is a follower of God and His word. She shares her story and helps others overcome their own fears. Now, I get to go to one of her seminars!!!

Today, when I logged into my computer, I was blessed to read an email from a fellow business partner that had a spare ticket that she was going to GIVE away to the first person that responded! Well, I called her and emailed her. . . and left messages. It turns out, that I was the first to respond. Wow! If that wasn't an answer to prayer, I don't know what is! Now, you might be thinking that she was aware of my want & need to go, but she wasn't. The fact is that her mother was going to go, but needed to stay home to babysit her grandkids and was praying that someone that could really benefit from the ticket would be blessed to receive it. Pretty Awesome, huh?!

So, now I get to go to Dani Johnson's seminar and be blessed by her message and then I will be able to bless someone else, someday! Check out her story, if you haven't already, and if you decide to sign up for one of her seminars, then please use my name as a referral. Kim Bodie

Blessings to you!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Oh the crazy days of . . .


Halloween. . .

Yes, it's true. Today is Halloween. Not a particularly fun day in the life of mom. The costume, the candy, the sugar high. . . and that is just for MOM. HA HA HA just kidding. Today was actually really fun! I volunteer at my son's preschool in the afternoons 3 days a week and I work with the 3 year old class. They are soooo funny. All afternoon, they talked about tonite & trick-or-treating. I imagine that tomorrow is going to be a really long day for the teacher that will be there in the morning. He He He

We only took my son to 2 places: our neighbor's house and our favorite restaurant. keeps the candy to a minimum. I'm sure I won't be able to get away with that for too many more years. Once he starts going to grade school, all of his friends will likely tell him how much he is missing by not going door to door. But I will enjoy this while I can : )

His preschool had a "Harvest Party" where they could dress up and we couldn't find part of his actual costume, so he wanted to dress up like his dad ~ "a welder" Pretty cute huh?!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Don't Stay Fat!!!!

Ok, so now that I have your attention. . . yes, I have started something that I am really excited to share! I have been trying to kick-start my weight loss for quite some time and I finally have found the product I have been looking for. One that is safe & natural and that is actually GOOD for you. Not only that, but I can also help other women achieve their financial goals as well!

Check it out: www.DontStayFat.com

I am so excited!!! If you are interested in losing weight OR just getting healthy. . . CALL ME!!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Great Weekend!

Well, we are back home and made good time on the road. Not a lot of traffic on Mondays! I will definitely remember that for our next mini trip. Eli had a wonderful time with his Mammaw & Pappaw, uncle Joe, & aunt Anne! He & his uncle Joe really had a blast. They were so funny together! It was so fun to watch him with each person... but one of the coolest things was how quickly he took to my step mom's dad. It was really neat to see them interact and to watch how gentle Eli was with him when he was around.

Eli really stuck to his Pappaw, too. Like glue. He talked about going back to visit on the whole trip home. We will definitely be going a lot more often now that I have seen how well he travels. AND he was so good in the van! No arguing, no fussing, and used his manners. Very pleasant trip indeed! I love the fact that it was a smooth trip. Now I won't be so apprehensive about going that far again.

I think next time we will plan something specific to do so that he can interact with his mammaw & pappaw on a different level, other than "hyped up 3 year old".

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Weekend at Pappaws

Well, we made it!
Eli & I drove to WV to visit my dad & step-mom and he was GREAT on the whole ride here. I was not so sure how he would do for a long trip, but he did really well. Normally he says after about 20 minutes, "this is a really long drive". . . but not this time.

He was so happy to so them. He was bouncing off the walls last night and this morning he got up at 8:00 and wanted them up too.

SO far, he has walked around the neighborhood with them about a dozen times, tried to find the kitty's, keep up with the dog, played in the swing on the porch, and gathered flower seeds for him to take home & plant. He is really enjoying himself.

Today his uncle Joe & uncle Rob are supposed to ome over to see him and spend time with us. We will likely cook out or something. Maybe even make some s'mores.

Anywhoooo....have a blessed day & enjoy your weekend!!!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday






I LOVE MY MOMMA!

GOD IS EVERYWHERE!

The News Story below was in our local paper this morning... please feel free to pass it on. It is so nice to see a newspaper actually print something like this where someone's prayers WERE truly visibly answered!!! She prayed to God to shield her bus and He DID.


'I hoped to God to shield my bus'
Richmond driver who protected 14 kids tells of harrowing gunfire
By JIM NOLAN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Bus 189 took the same route home yesterday, carrying the same precious cargo -- 14 preschool students -- who just the day before were terrorized when their bus was struck by gunfire during a shootout in North Richmond.

This time, there were no stray bullets to punctuate the ride home for the 3and 4-year-old children who spent yesterday at the Head Start program at the North Richmond Community YMCA on Old Brook Road.

"Today was a good day, and we are very glad for that," said Richmond schools spokeswoman Felicia Cosby.

But the woman who drove the bus on Monday, Arlene Smyre, was not behind the wheel yesterday.

Smyre, who kept her students safe during the frantic moments of the daylight shooting near East Ladies Mile Road and Hazelhurst Avenue, was traumatized by the event and said she was unable to work yesterday.

"I feel drained and still shocked over what happened," Smyre, 52, said yesterday over the phone from her eastern Henrico County home off Laburnum Avenue.

"I'm just glad that everybody was OK -- my monitor, my kids. I'm glad there were no tragedies."

She recounted the harrowing ordeal and the actions she took that kept her kids safe.

Smyre said that she had stopped her bus at a stop sign on Hazelhurst and was about to cross East Ladies Mile when she heard the sound of tires spinning furiously.

"I noticed a car driving wild and crazy," she said. "I thought, 'I'm going to have to get my bus out of the way.' Then I heard shots coming."

The car zoomed past Smyre's bus. She made the decision to stay put at the stop sign. She told the children and her bus monitor, a woman she knows only as "Queen," to get down -- and pray.

"I didn't know where the bullets were coming from," Smyre said. "I just prayed, just hoped to God to shield my bus."

Smyre heard what she thought were approximately 10 shots, one of which was followed by a "ping."

"You wonder, 'Where are those bullets going?'" Smyre said. "Where are they going to land?"

When the shooting stopped, Smyre lifted her head. The bus, she said, was quiet.

"If the adults stay calm, you can keep the children calm," said Smyre, an eight-year bus veteran who grew up in Richmond and has two grown sons and daughters.

Instead of crossing East Ladies Mile, Smyre said, she maneuvered her bus down a side street first to check on the children, who, like her, were shaken but unharmed. Then she made her way to Donnan Street to drop off a little girl.

That's when she turned off the bus and got out to take a look. She found a penny-sized bullet hole through a control panel just below the driver's seat.

"My life flashed before my eyes," Smyre said. "It didn't really hit me until I saw that bullet hole."

"The Lord stopped that bullet, cause it didn't go through," she added. "The man upstairs shielded that bus."

Smyre said she's glad she didn't panic during the crisis but is still feeling the emotional effects. She said she plans to return to work in a couple of days.

"I'm getting myself back together," she said. "The sooner I get back out there, the better I can get over it."

As Smyre recovered, police investigators yesterday continued to piece together the events that led to the 3:10 p.m. shootout Monday.

A man wounded in the shooting was released from VCU Medical Center with a non-life-threatening injury. Police were also looking for a teal green Honda Accord that fled the scene shortly after the exchange.

As of yesterday evening, no charges had been filed in the shooting, which police believe stemmed from an argument.

Cosby said that in light of Monday's incident, officials were stepping up efforts to publicize and prepare for the school system's previously scheduled "Safe Schools, Safe Communities" forum Oct. 4 at Boushall Middle School.

Monday's shooting incident, she said, "just underscores the importance of getting all of the community together. It's not a Richmond Public Schools incident -- it's something in the community. But it's something in the community that our kids face, and that we have to deal with on a regular basis."
Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or jnolan@timesdispatch.com.

Times-Dispatch research assistant Jennifer Perilli contributed to this report.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Life Changes

It never ceases to amaze me the number of parents today that are separating for various reasons. It breaks my heart to see the eyes of the children that are affected. I know of a few children whom their lives are in a true upheaval of sorts, due to the fact that their parents are not together or not a part of their little lives.

Please, do not think that I am trying to make those parents out to be bad parents or anything like that... I know that there are circumstances that cause separation & other issues in life, I am just simply saying that it makes me sad.

I can't begin to tell you how my heart grieves for them. God loves us so much and He does not want us to be apart from His love, yet, that is what it must feel like to a little child whose parents are apart, or not part of their lives. I look at my life with my husband and son and I am so thankful that God has given them to me and watches over us constantly. It makes my heart melt when I see my son give his daddy a hug or a kiss. I grew up with both parents at home, but it was not the Cleavers'... if you know what I mean. My dad worked all of the time & when he wasn't working, he was busy in his workshop making things out of wood & never seemed to have any time for me or my brother. Mom was always working, too. And when she wasn't working, she had her nose buried in a book & couldn't even hear you talk to her.

Now, don't get me wrong... I love both of my parents with all of my heart. They loved us kids and provided for us. I am just simply pointing out that you don't have to be physically separated for things to be difficult for kids. I grew up feeling inadequate as a woman and was constantly craving for someone to love me ~ my brother was the same way.

I married young & our marriage was not good. We did not build our relationship on a strong foundation, Christ... we built it on shifting sands. After only 4 years of marriage, my husband began cheating on me. For 2 years, he continued to do so, while I was mostly oblivious to it. When I finally knew it for sure, I confronted him with it. It took him a week to finally admit his most recent affair... but when he did, he was full of tears and begging me to forgive him. He ended up moving out and continuing his relationship with his recent affair. After a few months apart, he wanted to come home. He begged me to forgive him & try to work things out. I let him come home just before Christmas of 1996, but within less than a week, I caught him with her again and told him that was the last straw. We finally divorced and I swore I would never marry again. I had no desire to go through what I had been through ever again and through myself into work & church.

After about 10 months of just hanging out with some really great NEW friends, one of them asked me out on a date. . . and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. John and I did everything together. We hung out with the same people, had the same beliefs, were both terribly silly, and enjoyed making others happy. In May 2002, we married. Our pastor married us under the trees on the church property with only God & us present! It was the most spiritual thing that had happened to me other than being baptized!

We immediately became pregnant, but miscarried 2 months into the pregnancy. This was a devastating blow to me. I had never in my life felt such anguish. I wanted to die. I was afraid to become pregnant again. . . what if I miscarried again? What if I could never have a child? Finally, I was blessed again and was able to carry the baby for 37 weeks. And OH was he beautiful!!! When he was born and I saw him for the first time, he took my breath away. I had never before felt such love for anyone or anything. Finally, I understood God's love for me!

It took years for me to realize that the love I was searching for all along, was found in the Bible with my heavenly Father. I am a much better woman now than I have ever been. I have a wonderful husband and a precious little one that is truly a gift from God. My husband has the patience of Job and He is truly a gift from the Lord to me. When I have a bad day or am having a difficult time with my emotions, he loves me and shares God love with me over & over. He doesn't want me to forget how much Christ loves me.

We share the same with our son. When we go through our day, we talk about all that Christ has done for us AND all that He continues to do for us. We tell him how important it is that we share God's love with others so that they will know that He loves them, even when they feel like no-one else in the world does.

Tired of all of the HYPE of working from home?!?

It is amazing how many "opportunities" are out there on the internet that are REAL work from home opportunities and how many there are that are SCAMS! I have tried SEVERAL of them and have been scammed a few times, but thankfully, I NOW have TWO that I work with and they are both absolutely better than I ever could have imagined!

I really do work with 6 and 7 figure earners, and I am here to tell you. . . they definitely think about things quite differently than most people I have known! God has blessed me to be able to work with other Christian WOMEN and have them show me and encourage me on my pathway to six figures!

My passion is to help other women out there that are TRULY interested in making a substantial income and helping others do the same. It really is a wonderful thing to help others achieve their dreams!!!

Don't stay in the dark ages and work for someone else. . . let me show you how to work from home with a REAL opportunity and let me help you achieve the success you have only dreamed of!!!

http://www.DontStayFat.com

Monday, August 20, 2007

Internal Cleansing!!!

Well, I finally did it. . . I ordered the Isagenix Nutritional Cleanse. I have been looking for a way to "de-toxify" the inside of my body, since I have converted our whole house over to NON-toxic products for cleaning and laundry. I researched lots of different cleanses, but this one kept standing out. I have prayed a lot about what to do & I really feel that God has put me with a wonderful cleansing coach and mentor within Isagenix. Funny how He works, huh?

So, why am I telling you this? Well, I am going to log my journey HERE, for the whole world to see and to share in my ups & downs of it all! Am I crazy? Well, only you can decide. Once I get my pictures developed, I will upload my before pictures. I will also list my pounds and inches lost.

If you want to join me in this journey, feel free to order through this link. I would love to have a "weight loss" buddy.

Blessings to you!

Friday, August 10, 2007

God is so Good!

This week has been extremely busy. God has provided some wonderful things in our business and I have been able to help some people that really needed it. Our prayers have been answered in so many wonderful ways. I am so thankful!

I was able to introduce several people to the wonderful world of working from home! Our team has begun to grow by leaps & bounds. I am so excited for them! This is such a tremednous opportunity for moms that want to work from home AND they don't even have to work full time! I show them how to work 10-20 hours per week and how it IS possible to make a six figure income working from home FOR YOURSELF!

I have a hard time understanding people who request the information on how they can work from home & then choose to say NO. There is NO reason to not even try. There is NO RISK involved. No selling. No inventory. No stocking of any kind of products. No home parties. All you need is internet access and long distance. I mean, if you don't want to put forth any effort, then there is no way you are going to earn money, and maybe that is the problem. . . That people just want everything handed to them. Well, that is NOT going to happen in the REAL WORLD. But I will tell you, anyone that is on my team has a much greater chance of succeeding because I help them build their business.

God blessed me with the opportunity to work from home and the ability to share that opportunity with others.!
http://www.onemommy.com
http://daddysdreamjob.com

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

When I read the story below in the News today, I was saddened to hear that more Christians are being persecuted. . . But, what the Taliban don't seem to realize, is that CHRISTIANS KNOW THAT THEY WILL BE PERSECUTED FOR THEIR FAITH! ! ! ! !


Taliban sets Wednesday hostage deadline
07/31/07 - 07:35 AM
KABUL, Afghanistan, Jul 31, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Taliban extremists set a midday Wednesday deadline for Afghanistan to release prisoners before they execute more South Korean missionary hostages.

The threat came less than 24 hours after the bullet-riddled body of a 29-year-old male church volunteer was found beside a road in the Andar district in central Afghanistan.

Taliban rebels abducted 23 South Koreans -- 17 of them women -- from a bus on July 23. Last Wednesday, the group's leader was executed, al-Jazeera said.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said senior leaders decided to kill the male captive Monday night because the government hadn't met demands to trade eight prisoners for the Christian group, The New York Times said.

The latest execution angered regional Gov. Mejaruddin Patan, who issued a statement saying: "Today the Taliban proved to the world that they are criminals. Even while our negotiations were continuing they killed another hostage."

URL: www.upi.com

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Earn commissions on everything in your OWN mall!

While looking to add things to my work at home mom site to help other moms earn from home, I found this special brand-new concept. You have GOT TO GET IN NOW!!! Don't you wish you had bought Microsoft stock in the 1980's? Well, this is a ground-floor opportunity like that was -except this is totally FREE! Company has only been up and running about 3 months (in the planning for 5 years) and is exploding!! Macy's, Sears,Target (over 1000 stores) are participating in this venture-which speaks to its legitimacy.

Ginny Dye, our founder, will soon be taking this to television and the new people recruited for My Power Mall will be distributed under those who are already enrolled. This is like winning the lottery - get in now- your base will be ready-made for you. This is a fantastic opportunity - and I have been duped in the past - I refuse to do that to anyone else. Keep in touch with me, I will relish in your success as much as my own.

You really owe it to yourself and your family to take a few minutes to view a video about the hottest new way to make great money. The company is also very much into donating money to worthy causes. Great company to work with. Never a fee for anything. Don't kick yourself a year from now for passing this up. JUST ANNOUNCED -- SOON WE'll BE ABLE TO BUY GROCERIES ON MY POWERMALL - this is huge!! May be done through gift cards then taken to grocery stores - THIS IS HUGE!!!!

The video presentation is well worth your time!


Blessings to you!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Mom Entrepreneur

WOW! What a blast these past few weeks have been. Helping others to see the benefits in advertising their business has been tremendous! I can't wait to see so many of the small businesses that are going to advertise with The Home Resource Directory, come out successful!

I had an interview on American Family Radio on July 10th. It was about my Melaleuca business. You will have to listen to it! People were surprised by some of the facts that I talked about. I even had several people call me asking me for a copy of the toxin checklist. I'll add a link.

God has truly blessed me in so many ways!!! It feels good to be doing God's will in my life and following His plan for me, even if it is a little uncertain for me at times. At least I know that whatever happens, GOD is in control. I finally have time to start blogging again! Yay!!!

Sunday, July 1, 2007

July already?!

Well, I have been extremely busy starting a new business and it is BUSY! I have not taken the time to log on to my blog & update things, so there has been a lot that has transpired and I will have to take some time this week to update you. It is amazing how good you feel when you know that you are following God's plan for your life. I have pushed away from the path that He had for me, out of fear...but the more I read my Bible and the more I prayed and spent time with God, the more I realized that He does not give us a spirit of fear...that is from the devil!

I have also made the decision to start a new exercise routine. I ordered Turbo Jam and I am going to start doing that workout when it comes in the mail this week. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Mother's Day

I was blessed to have a wonderful Mother growing up. We didn't always see eye to eye, but she was always there for me. (Big surprise... what teenager does?) My mom worked a full time job and sold crafts and Stanley home products, for extra money. She did all of this so that my dad could be a police officer and so that my brother and I could have things like other kids. She used to make dinner almost every night for us. My mom was great! My friends enjoyed coming over to our house, because she always cooked up something yummy and listened to us without being judgemental.

MY MOM IS STILL GREAT!!!!

When I was pregnant with my son, she was always there for me when I had problems and difficulties. She really helped me out. When I was in labor, I had her there in the delivery room with me & my husband. She was AWESOME! This was something that she had never experienced other than having her own kids. : ) She really enjoyed being there and we loved having her! I am so thankful that we could experience this together. I couldn't have asked God for a better MOM!

She supports me in ALL that I do. When I found out that I was going to lose my job and decided to start a work from home business, she joined me. My mom shared with me the love of helping others. And because of that, I have had such a wonderful time sharing my business with others. Mom taught me how to be selfless and know the joy of doing for others and seeing the joy on their faces. God is so good! He gave me the BEST MOM EVER!

My son loves her so much, too! He calls her "olde gramma". This is becasue he has spent the most time with her of all of his grandmas. She was around just about every week for some period of time and then when we built our house in 2005, we lived with her for 6 months. After we moved in, my son kept asking when grandma was moving in . . . : ) She comes out to our house at least once a week and usually stays the night. I am so thankful that my son will know my mom. He loves it when she spends time with him. When I was a child, we lived too far away from both sets of grandparents for me to really know them. . . 3 of them died by the time I was 11 years old.

I pray that my son has the wonderful opportunity of getting to know my mom as he grows up. She is my best friend.

I Love You, MOM!

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Monday, April 30, 2007

What are you cleaning your home with?

The increase in number of people with allergies, asthma, fibromyalgia, joint pain, headaches, cancer, and various other illnessess seems to have increased significantly, over the last several years. In my researching of various organizations and researchers, I have found that many believe that the cause is from every day household checmicals. NO SURPRISE TO ME! I've been saying that all along!

Now most of you know that I am an AVID fan of Melaleuca. So much so, that I became an Independant Marketing Executive and encourage people to at least TRY their products... Melaleuca has a 95% re-order rate...WHAT DOES THAT SAY?!?

My son and hubby battled asthma and allergies for quite some time, as did I. I started connverting things in my home slowly over to "greener" products BEFORE I found out that Melaleuca had a WHOLE line of "EcoSense" products that were safe for the home AND the environment.

My mom first introduced me to Melaleuca 22 years ago, shortly after they came onto the market. I loved their shampoo and some of their cleaning supplies. But when I moved out on my own, and to another state, I "forgot" about Melaleuca. Then, last year I was researching ways to work from home and came across Melaleuca. I figured I would at least check it out since I already knew how much I loved their products form prior experience. AND they have a 3 month money back guarantee. SO, I converted ALL of my house cleaning, personal hygiene, and nutritional supplements over to Melaleuca.

Within a week, my husband was convinced that their was not a better product out there! His work clothes had never gotten so clean. AND the "scent" that was "natural" in the laundry detergent did not irritate his asthma AT ALL! He is a Welding Foreman, so he comes home quite dirty! As for the cleaning supplies that I use for the rest of the house, he used to go into an asthma attack every time he would come home on a day that I had done ANY kind of cleaning...well, NOW he does a lot of the cleaning himself, because HE CAN. Since the Melaleuca products are safer and non-toxic, they do not irritate his lungs and throat the way other "name brand" cleaners did. He even LOVES their shampoo and conditioner.

Now, you may be thinking...so what, so he likes the stuff, big deal.. well, this is coming from a HUGE skeptic! ANd he will be the first to tell you that.

My brief testimony on their supplements: I was on high blood pressure meds for a BP of 196/110. After being on their Women's multi vitamin and their mineral supplement for 2 MONTHS, I no longer had to take my BP meds....... AND my BP is 120/70. The reason that I love their supplements so much, is not just becasue of that, but because I KNOW that they are absorbed! Most over the counter supplements that you buy in the stores are not as high quality as theirs are and therefore DO NOT get absorbed into your body by more that 10% or 20%. Whereas with Melaleuca's vitamins & minerals, they are absorbed closer to 80% to 90% due to their patented fruit compounding.

I have gone to seminars and spoke about the importance of KNOWING what you are using in your home. I have given samples out to people to try them so that they could see that the products are of a higher quality. And I have continued to be an online voice.

My mission in life:

My personal vision and mission is to share information and educate others on the danger of the toxic chemicals found in their home and how they can make simple changes that can have a huge impact on their health, their lives and the environment.

Pregnant?

I have been wanting to get pregnant again for quite some time, since I would like to have a few more children. Well, I went off of the pill a month ago and I think that I am already pregnant! I won't know for sure for another week, but I have been having some of the same symptoms that I had with my son. I definitely didn't EXPECT for it to happen so fast, but I would just love it if I am! I even dreamed I was having twins...not "identical twins" but one from each of their own egg. Strange, huh? That would be so wonderful! I am simply praying for a healthy, happy baby once again. We have a name picked out for one, but not for two... so this could be quite interesting..or maybe I'm just wishful thinking.

I know that when it is time, I will be Blessed again with a child or two or three or...., whether it is from my own womb or through adoption. I love kids and I am praying that I will have the opportunity to have several more.

My temporary work assignment for my friend will end next Friday and I am looking forward to really working on my home businesses. I am going to miss several of the people there, but it will be wonderful to be able to spend more time with my son and be more of a wife and mother. I just was not cut out for sitting behind a desk all day and not feeling like I am making a difference. I want to share the love of Christ with others and show other moms how they can work from home and make a full time income while only putting in part time hours. I wish someone would have shared this information with me sooner... but here again, everything happens in GOD's time. Thankfully, HE has a plan that is far greater than any we could ever think up and HIS is ALWAYS better for us!

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

What are these kids thinking!?!?!?!?!?!

OK, now this is just crazy... When I got to my son's pre-school, I found out that ALL of the county schools had been closed due to a "Virginia Tech type threat".

The Richmond TimesDispatch newspaper said "a note was found at the end of the school day yesterday on a bathroom wall saying a shooting would take place today ".

This is getting absolutely idiotic. If only these kids understood the impact of a threat like this. If only they knew. Is this kid one that is having difficulty at home or school or maybe he/she is picked on a lot? WHY can't other kids see the danger in bullying and teasing?!

I remember when I was in school, I used to get so mad at kids that would pick on other kids. I would usually say something to them and end up being part of the teasing, but fortunately, my parents raised me to ignore such dumb stuff. Now, some of those kids that did the 'bullying" or "teasing" are the REAL losers now and have made nothing of themselves, except complete fools. Many of the kids that I know were picked on in school, are quite successful and doing far better that the ones that picked on them. Ironic, huh?! Now, that is what I call overcoming your circumstances!

I hope that the police find out who did this and that the get to the bottom of it. While punishment is necessary, I believe that they also need to evaluate the WHY behind this person's note. God help them!

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Hormones & Houses

We are trying for #2 and I refuse to take any of my meds, as I feel that since they are not life sustaining medications ...I want to give our baby a fair chance at being healthy. But, wow... the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it all. God Bless my husband! If I had to put up with me during this phase, I think I would have to scream!

He is so patient and kind. Even when he gets frustrated or overwhelmed, he is generally mindful of his actions and reactions. At least when I know for certain whether I'm pregnant or not, it will not be as difficult. Being 38 and working on only #2 is frustrating, but enjoyable. I mean, I had wanted a lot of children, but didn't realize it until I realized that a "Corporate Career" was NOT what I wanted and that didn't come into my realization until I was 35...pretty funny, huh?!

I can't help but wonder, since I have been extremely tired and have been having crazy crazy nightmares! That is what happened when I was pregnant with Eli. I had never had such strange dreams! Not even when I would eat right before bed. (That is when I would have nightmares before I was pregnant) Oh well.

My step sister AND my brother are both buying houses for the first time. I am so excited for them! I remember what that was like! Even the aggravation of all of the stuff you had to get together for the mortgage company was exciting to me. Both of them have been blessed to find such nice homes and such reasonable prices in today's economy! I can't wait to see them once they have moved in and gotten settled! Both of these homes are awesome!

The pictures I saw of my sis's home is exactly what I would have bought for myself if I had the same opportunity when I bought my first house. It is really nice and has a big yard for kids : ) And the fireplace makes the house seem so inviting!

The house my brother is buying, I have actually been in once before, many, many years ago. He is purchasing it from an estate sale of one of his friend's whom recently passed away. It could not have been bought by a more perfect person to live there. He had leved there at one time and had done a lot of landscaping and planted a huge herb garden... he used to be a chef and still enjoys cooking alot!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Shooting Spree

Such a sad, sad day.

A day that the world had marked as "holocaust memorial day", Liviu Librescu, a holocaust survivor, reportedly threw himself in front of the young gunman when he barged into Liviu's class. Mr Librescu was a professor of mechanics and enginieering at Virginia Tech.

There were apparently several other acts of bravery and honor.

Gunman: Cho Seung-Hui
A senior at Virginia Tech.
A 23-year-old South Korean resident alien who had a Centerville address.

So much heartache, created by one person. How could someone perform such a heinous crime and then take their own life? I cannot grasp the thought process that must have gone through this young man's mind. The pain... the grief... the agony that he has caused in the hearts of so many. As well as the pain and grief that he has caused his own parents.

Please take time to pray for the survivors and those that are left behind in the wake of such heinousness. They are ALL in much need of our prayers today and in the days to come.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Virginia Tech Tragedy

I don't know how many of you were able to see the information as it unfolded this morning, but it was just awful! A gunman opened fire on campus at Virginia Tech and killed at least 22 people. Both in a dorm and classroom. People were seen jumping out of dorm room and class room windows to escape the horrific scene. One person broke their ankle and another was seen laying n the ground, not moving. They had just had a bomb threat on Friday (April 13th) and had also police had received a written bomb threat on April 2nd. You would expect something like this to happen in Richmond, but not in the quiet little town of Blacksburg, VA.

My heart and prayers go out to the families of everyone affected by this morning's incident.

Dear God in Heaven, we ask that you put your hand over the families of those who have been hurt or killed in this terrible tragedy. Watch over them and keep them in your loving embrace. Help them to cope with this terrible incident and to find peace and comfort in your presence. Heal those that have been hurt, quickly, and comfort those that are dealing with the death of loved ones. ~Amen

Saturday, April 7, 2007

SNOW?!

Our friends from NY came in this weekend to visit. B&L. B used to babysit Eli when he was a baby. SHe was the only sitter that I had from the time he was 8 weeks until they had to move back to NY. Her dad & her husband's mom both were ill & needed to have family around. We sure do miss them! But, we enjoy it when we get to spend time with them. We teased about the weather, since they came here thinking that they would get to enjoy the sunny 70's that we've been enjoying for the past 2 weeks.

However, I awoke this morning to a beautiful 2 inches of snow..... in VIRGINIA! OK, now if I were in NY I would expect to see this, but the day before Easter in VA? Well, I am not going to second guess it, because I am loving it! This is like the second snow we ave had all year. It stopped for alittle while, but now it has started flurrying again with great big flakes that look like big fluffy pieces of cotton. B&L must have brought it with them.

My son was funny to watch, as he woke up later this morning & was clinging to my shoulder with sleep in his eyes, he looked up out the back window of the house & put his head back down on my shoulder, only to yank it back up again and say, incrediously, "It's snowin' " All I could think was "wow, that was my reaction, too" It really made me think about what the weather may have been like on Resurrection day, so many years ago.

I am so thankful for all that Christ has done for us. To know that I am saved by grace, HIS grace. I serve an AWESOME God! I sing praises to His Holy Name! I am looking forward to church tomorrow, so that I can sing even more! I miss singing as often as I used to on stage at church. It is so uplifting to be in the worship team. I feel the same way when I am around my Christian friends. I pray that I make others feel good, too. I know that I want others to see HIM in me. I want to do His will. I continue to be in AWE OF HIM! Blessings this day before Resurrection!

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Voila! Presto!

Have you seen this? PRESTO CONTEST

Talk about something worth getting!

My 80 year old grandmother will not buy a computer because of all of the negative things that she & my grandfather have heard about computers, but this is something that I am seriously considering purchasing for her. She lives 420 miles away and we only get to see her once or twice a year and this would be a phenomenal way to keep her up to date on my son and my family.

This is something that ANYONE can use! I mean, seriously, it is easier than a fax machine and you can customize the things that you send. Does it get any better than this?

Thursday, March 29, 2007

God's will for me

What do you do for a living?
Do you love your J-O-B?
Can you take a vacation whenever you want to ?
Do you wish you had more time with family?

These are all questions that I kept seeing all over the internet last summer when I was out on medical leave, recovering from some serious high blood pressure. I kept thinking to myself, "there has got to be a better way!" Working in Corporate America was just not for me anymore, now that I had a child and lived so much farther away (we had built a new home). I prayed and prayed that God would show me what he wanted for my life. Things were not happening. I just felt sad & depressed. I decided that I would just go back when my doctor released me and would just continue to search & pray.

I finally prayed that I was open to His will. Not surprising, doors started opening...I found out in October that I would lose my job after the first of the year and that I would have a nice severance package and a Career Development Counselor. Wow, when He answers prayers, he REALLY answers prayers. I also was able to become part of a business that has an incredible program for non-profit agencies (my passion). AND I secured TWO businesses that I am passionate about and love sharing with average everyday people! www.onemommy.com and www.onemommy.ws I finally feel like I am doing what I was destined to do..... helping others achieve their dream of working from home and being able to raise their children themselves! Speaking out and sharing this information with others really makes me feel good!

I must tell you, I looked and looked, and kept running into all sorts of scams. Thankfully, none of which I joined. But it amazes me at the number of them that are out there, preying on people like me & you that are just wanting a "better way" so that we CAN spend more time with our children. I came to the conclusion that I would create a website that would help others in similiar situations be able to find a REAL work from home business that could help them realize their dreams.

That's when www.bestwahms.com came to fruition. I am still developing it, but it will have many many links that will give people real options and resources.

I am getting out of debt faster than I even thought possible and I owe it all to God!

Comments are always welcome!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Marijuana in School?

I must be really old fashioned or really really naive...but on the news today they were talking about a 6 year old boy that that had been suspended for a week and was facing expulsion because he was found to have a bag of Marijuana in his pocket. He had told police that he had found it in the living room of his home. The parents had stated that it was not theirs, but had likely come from someone visiting the home.

WHAT?!? 6 years old! Good grief. Do you realize that if this child had ingested it, it could have killed him? OK, so it's not the parents' marijuana, but what kind of "friend" brings that stuff over to your home, knowing that you have a child??? What if he had brought it out in front of a child that was allergic to it? Or around a baby? I know, I know... it could have been worse, yet it wasn't. I really feel bad for the child. I mean, come on, he's 6! I can't help but wonder what is going through his mind? How did they handle it? Was he scared? Did anyone take the time to explain to him what he had done and why it was wrong?

They finally allowed him to return to school.

It really amazes me at the things that kids are getting in trouble for nowadays! I remember when I was in 1st or 2nd grade and I got in trouble for bringing a deck of cards to play with during recess. We were playing "slap-jack". The principal found us playing and confiscated the cards. Yes, I know, this is really dating me. But, apparently at the time, it was considered "gambling paraphernalia". Yes, I'm serious. I also remember getting in trouble for "talking" in class and being in tears when the teacher made me stand in the hallway. Terrified that the principal would see me & I would get a spanking. Yes, I said spanking! They had corporal punishment in the schools that I attended. I don't condone corporal punishment. AND I do believe that there is a better way of punishment than suspension for a child this young!

Yeah, yeah, I know, kids are exposed to a lot more than we were, when we were young. But, here again, it brings me back to the whole "work from home" idea. You know, the mom's of the 1930's & 40's & 50's were doing something right. Most mom's stayed at home. I believe that there is a lot to be said about a "stay at home mom". God Bless them all!!! If we, as moms, were more concerned with our families' REAL "well being", then we would find other means of supporting our family financially, than working 50-60 hours a week in somebody's office, doing work for them. I realize that in today's society that you pretty much need to be a 2 income household in order to put food on the table, a roof over your head, and clothing on your back. But it is high time that we start "living on less" instead of "living large".

You do NOT have to give your child "everything that you didn't have" as a child.
You do NOT have to be involved in every social event that you are invited to.
You do NOT have to keep the house spotless, dinner served on time, and perfect every day.

What I believe that we DO need to do is:
~ Spend more time with our children, without the TV
~ Let the kitchen dishes go for a night & do something that they want to do
~ Make dinner more often, eat out less
~ Allow your child to be involved in the activities that they are genuinely interested in, but set limits! Otherwise, they will end up stressed, unhappy, and trying to "keep up with the Jones' "

Comments welcome!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Treasures in Heaven

Matthew 6: 19-21

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I think so many of us forget what we are in business for. We are not in business to make money...that is just a byproduct of our work. We are in business for God and his kingdom! He provides all that we need and then some. So many people put their work ahead of their relationship with God, their families, and friends. Their children are suffering and they don't even see it. Why do you think we have so many children that are rebelling against their families. Because so many have submitted to their will and not the will of the Father.

Families that think they are doing the "best" they can for their children, are the same ones that have submitted to a different god.... the god of materialism... and they don't even realize it. We all know them, they are your neighbors, your fellow church memebers, and may even be you. Buying your child everything that YOU think they need is not necessarily the RIGHT thing to do. Did you pray about it? Did you ask God what HE thought you should do? I know that I am guilty of doing this...we all are. But it is something that I have gotten better about over the past few years. I turn to him in ALL that I do. If I don't, then I know that it may not be what HE wants for me and I will just make a big mess of things.

Today, STOP, take a moment, pray, ask God what HE wants for you today.... I think that you will find, that HE wants more for you than you can even imagine, but it may not necessarily be in the material world.

Peace and Blessings to you my friends!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Huh?

WHOLESALE:
Ok, so I have been looking for different wholesalers of products that I can purchase items from to sell, locally. We have a few weekend markets that are accepting sign-ups for boothes and I would like to be able to offer the best prices to the locals, since we live in such a rural area. I cannot even find someone to recommend a good source that does not require a huge purchase or a monthly membership fee?! If anyone out there knows of a good supplier, I promise, I will not be your competition and I will not share the wholesaler info with anyone. I just need to be able to help out my community.

ADVERTISING:
I have been advertising on a few local boards in our commuity and online in several locations for my work from home business. Are you a work from home mom? Are you having difficulty advertising on the "net"? I joined the MOMPack, and it is a great resource for those that are trying to expand their business outside of their local area. I have a link to it below, and NO I don't get any kind of profit for referring you to them... I am just sharing it since it has proven to be a good source. I am also willing to post other business people's cards in our local library and other places that I visit and place my ads. If interested contact me via this blog.

Blessings!

Monday, March 19, 2007

Top Momma!!!

Well, I finally made it! I am on the front page of Top Momma! WOW! I am honored! I can think of a lot of moms that are real "Top Mommas" that aren't even on the site and here I am.

My mom is a REAL Top Momma. She is the one that taught me to love unconditionally, to look beyond a person's faults and love them anyway. She showed me how much I wanted to be a mom. She showed me how to REALLY care about people, whether I knew them or not.

I am so happy that she has become my business partner! She has taught me everything I know about sharing a good thing with people that really need it. We have been so blessed and she has taught me how to share those blessings with others. Some people think that they work hard for their money and that they deserve to have it all to themselves. But the way I was raised, was that the money is God's money and that it is to be used for His purpose. He provides for us with a home, clothing, and food.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to help another, check out different non-profit agencies to see how you can help. Something as simple as donating food to the local shelter, donating clothing and furniture to the Salvation Army, or helping out in your local community for those that are less fortunate.

God Bless!

God & Me

I found out today that my "tentmakers" group at work now has a site. It is up & running and we are moving and growing. God is so good! He is working through so many of us and you can feel his presence when we are together. I am going to miss being a part of the actual meetings through the week when I leave this temporary assignment behind. But, here again, God is working.

I have a wonderful work from home business that is growing and I love the team that I have created. We all help each other and are excited when we see each other's business grow. God keeps putting things on my heart that I am so excited about. And he is letting me work with some wonderful people!

My son told me this morning that he wanted me to stay home (again) and I gave him the biggest hug and told him that in a few more weeks, I could do that. But that right now I made a promise to help a friend and that I needed to go in to her office to work for her. I believe that it is so important that he understand that you are only as good as your word. And that when you promise someone something, that you deliver on it! My husband and I are really trying to raise him up in the Lord's teachings and to be a follower of Christ and his ways. I look forward to seeing what it is that God has planned for him. I wish that my parents had explained that more to me when I was growing up. I mean, DH and I read the bible to him every day, we talk about God to him, share the wonders of God with him, sing praises to God, and we pray with him. I know it is sinking in, and that makes me so happy.

I made up a little song that I sing to him in the mornings and he has begun to sing it with me. It starts out "What a beautiful day the Lord has made...."
Well, this weekend he said to me "Mommy, what a beautiful day the Lord has made!" I gave him the biggest hug and said "Yes, he has!" and we sang our little song together.
WOW! Talk about making your heart melt! I bet God in heaven was crying hearing that sweet little 3 year old singing to Him!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Mixer ~ a little info, a little business, a little socializing

WOW! Here it is the 13th already & I feel like it has only been a day or two since my last post. Things are going pretty well with my business and the seminar I attended was great! whoa....backup, did I say Seminar? Yup, that's right... I finally had a little time to attend a seminar that was beneficial to my business. I met a lot of great people and shared my business information with a lot of people.

Steve Gottry was the presenter. If you have never heard him speak, you have really missed something. He has been through a lot both as a person and as a business owner. He tells it like it is and is truly humbled by what he has been through. One of the exercises that he had us do was to write out our vision statement. Now, I know that this sounds pretty general, but the WAY he had us think about it and organize it, made more sense to me than any other "vision statement" I have ever had to work on. After only a couple of minutes, I had mine written out and was sharing it with the group. ((He asked for volunteers to read theirs)) I will share it with you later tonight. I left it at home and want to make sure I write it out correctly. I will also be sharing it on my new website, www.BestWAHMs.com

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Walking the walk...

When was the last time you talked to someone that you have not seen or conversed with for a long time?

Today, as I was working for my friend, I got to spend some time with another christian sister talking about our work & where God seems to be taking us. I had not gotten to spend any time with her since January 15th. It was so good to sit down and be able to converse with someone without feeling like I needed to be somewhere else or doing something else. God is SO good! He gives us friends when we need them and time to share with them when they need us.

Little man was sick today & "Olde" grandma stayed with him. He loves her so much! We stayed with her for 6 months while we built our house in 2005. So he is extremely comfortable when she is around. I really believe that he is what has kept her strong through all of the health issues that she has had over the last few years. Plus, she finally quit her job and is now working with me on our home business. She is AWESOME! I am so thankful that I have her around. God blessed me with a wonderful mother. She has been there for me when no-one else was and has taken care of me when no-one else could. I don't know what I would do without her!

Monday, February 26, 2007

Work

wow...have you ever had a glimpse of what it is like to work from home and then go back to work for a short period of time in a 9-5 type job? Well, that is just what I am doing...for a friend. I have a home based business and love it, but a friend called me a few weeks ago & wanted me to work for her at her job while she is out for surgery. Well, I agreed and just started today. I will cover for her until the end of April, when she returns. It was really hard to get out of bed so early again &have to be somewhere by 8:00, when, as I work from home, I can get up whenever I feel like it and don't have any appointments before 9:00...and all of them are on the phone, so I don't even have to get ready...makeup, business attire, drive time, etc... It really makes you thankful that your job is working from home!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Cabbage rolls / Micky Dees

OK, so when I was pregnant with E, I really planned on making sure he had nutritious meals ALL of the time...great idea, but not very practical or logical... Then when we moved to the country, he discovered cheeseburgers.

Now, any other time he will eat most anything that you put in front of him, and he even likes spinach! But tonight, DH called & said he was going to be late, due to a problem at work and I had to pick up E a little later than usual. SO, on our way home he informed me that he wanted a cheeseburger. Normally, I would have deterred him from even thinking about it, but he had a good idea. So, I turned around and we went to McDs. This gave me the time I needed to get the cabbage rolls in the oven so that when DH finally gets home, he will have something warm to eat.

It also gave me a chance to do something that I decided to start doing..... I really believe that we each have a purpose in life and that God has plans for all of us. I think that it is important for each of us as christians to do our best to share the Word of God with as many people as possible. Regardless of what others think or say... you were not put here to be "politically correct" and to skirt around issues that go against the Bible. You were put here for God's plans, not your own. I don't mean be a jerk and cram it down peoples throats, but be more like Christ. Give an encouraging word to someone that needs it, give a gift of your time to someone that just needs an ear, stop and visit a neighbor that you don't know, visit a blog of someone you have never met and leave a positive comment or strike up a new friendship. These are just some ideas, but you get the picture.

I have made a lot of new friends since I started working from home, simply by visiting different blogs and message boards. I have also gotten some pretty good ideas for things to do with my son & some different recipes. I think I will add this kind of stuff to my new website that I am currently creating. What do you think?

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Wordless Wendesday


My Humerous Hubby posing for the camera!


Another day...

FINALLY! I think my computer is finally working right. My friend came over & overwrote everything & it now works better, but it is still a little slow. I think I'm gonna need to add some memory. After all, I bought my computer in 2001...and it is a Pentium 4. Yeah, yeah...I know, I need to just break down & buy a newer one...and I probably will later this year. But for now, I will deal with the slowness of my PC.

I got to do most of my phone calls on Monday. A lot of people are really looking for work at home opportunities. I feel so blessed to be able to share my opportunities with them. I know how it is... trying to raise your kids, work outside the home, get dinner on the table, keep the house clean, laundry done, kids fed...and so it goes... My husband is very happy that I am working from home, now. He actually gets a hot meal EVERY DAY now and it is usually ready shortly after he gets home, instead of 2 hours later. : )
He is looking forward to doing the same thing next year.

Big E has decided that he likes to ride his tricycle in the evenings round and round the house. Really funny, because he goes from the foyer, to the dining room, to the kitchen, to the breakfast nook, into the great room and back into the foyer again, in one gigantic loop! I need to upload the video on You Tube...it's really funny watching him.

I'm still working on my website. It is taking a little time to get things loaded,but it is slowly coming along. Any comments or suggestions would be most appreciated!

Sunday, February 11, 2007

So much going on

Well, things are going pretty crazy as usual...my computer is on the fritz and I have 40 some people to call that are interested in working from home. It's really great at how many people are interested in working from home. I know when I was looking for something, it seemed to take forever to find something that was duplicatable and REALLY had true support from my peers. The team I work with is awesome! We help each other every day with phone calls and sharing our opportunity. I am so thankful for God giving me this opportunity to help other moms learn how they can work from home and do it without spending a whole lot of time away from their families and not spending a whole bunch 0f money. For the first time since I have been married (2002) I have been able to keep the house up, the laundry done, dinner on the table, and family time every evening. WOW! God is so good! Praise His Name!!!

Dear hubby has an awful upper respiratory infection...and little man has gotten a really bad cough. I wonder if we will ever get out of the "sick season"???? My mom is even sick & has a really bad cold & sinus infection. Seems like every time we turn around one of us is ill.

Got some good news today...my father in law may get out of the hospital this week. He was re-admitted last week due to a high fever & he had some sort of infection and his white count was up really high. He got 2 pints of blood and his hemoglobin is up to 9 now. We are praying for it to coninue to rise. I am really looking forward for him to get back on his feet again...and I know he is looking forward to it, too. He was really surprised that everything went so well. Amazing how prayer works, huh? : ) Little man misses him. But since he has been sick wiht one ailment or another, we have kept him away so that he didn't give "Big Daddy" any thing else to deal with. He is going tohave to go through one more round of chemo to ensure that there are no stray cancer cells and then, prayerfully, he will be done.

Saw a really great presentation this past Friday and met a wonderful lady. She shared an opportunity with me that is absolutely incredible. I am going to have to wait until I can get together some more money to invest in it. I will continue to pray about it and ask God for his guidance and if it is something that He wants me to persue, then I will be given the opportunity to do so. I am so happy that I have learned how to turn everything over to Him. I used to think that I was doing that, but last summer, I realized that I really wasn't. I prayed a lot and read the bible alot, and realized that I only had to hand it over to Him and I could feel like a new -person... and that is what I do now. Now, don't get me wrong... sometimes it is really hard, because human nature is to try & fix everything yourself. But, God is soooooo much better at fixing things!

Blessed to be a blessing!!

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Wednesday


Is it Wednesday Again?? WOW, I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted...mainly because my computer has been on the fritz. I have to take it in to the shop on Friday. I sure hope I don't have to buy a new one!

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Testimony?

Have you ever thought about what your "testimony" is?

All Christians have one... but in reading some other blogs today, I realized that some Christians feel as if they don't have a very good testimony because it's not something that is "exciting"... like someone who was transformed from a life of crime or man that has turned away from homosexuality and now has a huge mission. But, what I think that people fail to realize is that you don't have to have some BIG testimony that you write books about. I mean, look at our every day lives as Christians. Many of us don't even think about our day, because we have no real control over it, so we take it as it comes and pray for strength to get through whatever life slings our way. But did you ever stop to think that YOUR testimony may be what someone needs to hear that is in the same position as you once were?

I look back on my life and see the many mistakes that I made and I don't want my children to make the same kind of mistakes. If I had had a stronger relationship with Christ and truly understood what that meant, then maybe I would not have made many of those mistakes. It wasn't for God's lack of trying... I mean, he gave me several opportunities, but as I got older, my family did not make it something that was part of our everyday life in the way that I do today. We said prayers at the dinner table and at bedtime, but never really understood why and how powerful prayers are, until now.

It took a horrible divorce from a cheating spouse when I was 28 years old, to really open my eyes and turn EVERYTHING over to God. I struggled with ever wanting to marry again since I didn't believe in divorce and I didn't have any children. The more I turned over to God, the more He opened my eyes to His plan for my life.

It still amazes me every time He shows me something new. For example, I have had a lot of health problems over the past couple of years and have really wanted to be a stay at home mom with our son, but just didn't think that it was possible. Finally, after the "last straw" in the summer of 2006, I prayed a very specific prayer... "God, please show me what it is that you want for me...show me and I will follow whatever it is...make it VERY CLEAR to me so that there will be no doubt in my mind what it is that you want me to do...and let me be able to pay off ALL of our debt, including our new home mortgage within 5-7 years so that we can do more of YOUR work in our community & church" I found out the very next morning that my department was being done away with and I would be without a job/income sometime after the first of the year & that the severance package was not going to be that great. Well, I laughed because I knew that this was definitely an answer that I had been praying about, since I had started an at home business and really preferred working from home anyway. So I went home and prayed about the severance package and a couple of weeks later, I found out that it changed to a much better package. ; ) Funny how He works, huh?

When I returned to work after the holidays, I didn't find out until mid January that my last day would be March 18th and I would have an income coming in until the end of May... plenty of time to build my home based business and more than replace my income. WOW! God is so good! He eases our minds before we even can think about it!

So... don't hesitate to share your "testimony" with whomever God puts on your heart...you never know who you may be helping!

Put Christ at the center of everything in your lives! He will NEVER fail you.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Oversize T-shirts and the like

Life is good!

I had to laugh, today.... I took a new extra work t-shirt home to my 2 year old last night (2 of the same shirt) Well, after he saw them he had to have me put one on him after his bath. So he slept in this really huge, adult size small, t-shirt and when he woke up he told me that he wanted to wear it to school... LOL Needless to say, we had to put the other one on over top of his clothes today for him to wear it at school. 2 years old!!! And he already has a mind of his own. My mom says that I am getting back what I gave all of those years ago. ; )

We are supposed to get snow today. I wish we WOULD! Everyone I know has been sick with one thing or another and it's because it has not gotten cold enough to kill off some of these germs. Little guy is still on breathing treatments. I don't know how some parents do it. I mean, I have insurance and the RX was still over $100... and that is just for 10 days. I sure am glad that he doesn't need them that often. I think we would go broke.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Wonderful Weekend!

Well, we had a wonderful weekend! My birthday was great! We spent time with each other and my husband got me the most exquisite bouquet of flowers... Gerbera Daisies, roses, cala-lillies, pink day lillies, wow~! His mom is a floral designer & he had her create it for me. My mom got me the prettiest Garnet earrings & card, and from my little guy, I received earrings, a necklace, & 3 bracelets. My mother in law also sent me the most beautiful bamboo plant! (Finally something I can't kill, LOL)

Sunday was really nice. We had friends in from NY and they brought me a birthday cake & icecream! Our son had the best time too! He really misses them. They just moved back to NY last Fall. We ALL really miss them.

So, how was your MLK Day? DH had to work, and I spent the day with a sick little guy. Breathing treatments and the whole works. This weather has really been the pits lately. I wish it would get cold enough to kill off some of the germs that we have around here! He has kept a cough all winter long. We finally got to go out for dinner last evening to our favorite local cafe, Hatcher's Diner. We were hoping to see Ms. Sylvia, so that our little guy could tell her hello, but she wasn't there.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Aspartame, Allergies, & Non-Stick Cookware

It's really funny ~ my step-sister has always been BIG into environmental issues and safe products, but now that I have a child, I REALLY see the necessity in it. I mean, now I won't use cooking pots & pans that have the non-stick stuff in it, I also won't re-heat my food in the microwave inside of a plastic container, we drink only well-water. I buy my vegetables from local organic farmers and the meat I purchase is hormone free. The reality of this is that the items do not cost any more than what we would spend at a local grocer for items that were not as safe and I am doing something much better for my family.

I was tested several years ago for allergies and found that most of what I was eating, I was allergic to. Ironic, huh!?! Beef, Potatoes, Citrus, Cinnamon, & Peanuts. This also caused me to gain an exhorbitant amount of weight over the years. I had not realized how something so trivial could be so important to my health. When I stopped eating the things I was allergic to, I started to feel better & slowly weight began to come off.

Then, a little over a year ago, I stopped drinking diet soda because of several articles that I had come across touting that aspartame was not good for you and could cause problems with your health. I had been having problems with my knees all of my life & drank mostly diet softdrinks...after a few weeks without any, I NO LONGER HAD KNEE PAIN!!! I have been pain free since then!

Unfortunately, I turned to REGULAR soda shortly after that & gained weight...so, I started drinking only water & unsweet tea and slowly removing refined sugars from my diet and anything that had "high fructose corn syrup". I have lost 70 punds in one year from making these simple changes...and I NEVER FEEL DEPRIVED! I actually feel a million times better than I ever have! I recently proved to myself AGAIN why I try to stay away from refined sugar... we stopped at a local ice cream parlor that makes their own icecream...I decided that I would get a small scoop of their chocolate rasberry truffle... within an hour I was feeling yucky & ended up taking a nap for 2 hours...Turned in to a very VIVID reminder of why I don't eat this stuff anymore!

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My son , husband, & I have issues with asthma type symptoms & allergies and my son & I have very sensitive skin.

I noticed that every time I would use any type of cleaning products throughout the house to clean, that we would all have some type of problem... whether is was my husband having difficulty breathing, my son coughing, or our skin producing a rash. I searched & searched for ways to clean without using toxic chemicals, but could not find anything that worked very well. Then I remembered my mom using some products when I was very young & they always worked and did not cause any negative reactions. So, one day while looking for a way to work from home, I got a phonecall from two ladies that "re-introduced" me to those products!

Now, I can safely say that my home is as clean as ever, we are not having ANY negative reactions to my cleaning products, and I am earning a respectable income by sharing this opportunity with others!

Evidence Mounts That Trace Chemicals CAN Harm Fetuses and Children

Evidence Mounts That Trace Chemicals CAN Harm Fetuses and Children

Are Our Products Our Enemy?Evidence Mounts That Trace Chemicals Can Harm Fetuses and Children By Elizabeth Weise, USA TO (Aug. 3) -

Like the glint of a knife in the dark, a laboratory accident in 1998 helped scientists realize that some chemicals commonly used to make life more convenient can be health hazards.
Since what they still call "the disaster" in geneticist Pat Hunt's lab, more scientists have come to suspect that, even in tiny amounts, some of the chemicals that keep our food fresh, our hair stylish, our floors shiny and our fabrics stain-free might be confusing our hormone systems and derailing fetal development.
Hunt says she's not the only researcher who has come to study these chemicals - called endocrine disruptors - because she got "smacked in the face" by an unexpected result. "Almost everybody in this field was drafted into this, but we feel we can't leave this area, because if this stuff is dangerous, then we need to know a whole lot more about it."
Here's what happened seven years ago at Hunt's lab at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland:
While researching why women miscarry because of chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus, Hunt found that the eggs of the mice she was studying were inexplicably developing serious chromosomal problems.
It took months for Hunt to realize that the problem was caused by a temporary employee's error. "He had two bottles of detergent, one for the floor and one for the cages, and he picked up the wrong one."
The harsh alkaline floor detergent caused the plastic in the cages to begin to disintegrate, which leached a chemical called bisphenol A into the animals' food and water. Suddenly, 40% of the eggs had chromosomal abnormalities.
The question this posed for scientists: If plastic can do this to mice, what dangers do people face?
Out of Sight
You can't see them. There's no way to tell from a product label whether they've been used. And they don't appear in every variation of the same kind of product. Scientists are not always sure how they are transmitted from product to person.
These man-made chemicals are endocrine mimics. By sheer chance, their molecules are perfectly shaped to form keys that open the hormonal locks that control the proper development and function of our bodies.
They may do little harm to adults, but evidence mounts that they can wreak havoc in the development of fetuses and children:
-- Ana Soto, a professor of cell biology at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, found that exposure to bisphenol A, a common ingredient in plastics such as reusable water bottles and the housing of laptop computers and in resins that line some food cans and dental sealants, can change the course of fetal development. Fetal mice developed tissue associated with higher rates of breast cancer later in life. Soto's findings were presented in San Diego this summer at the yearly meeting of the Endocrine Society, the largest professional organization of endocrinologists.
-- Exposure to phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) comes from direct contact with products that contain them, such as vinyl flooring, detergents, automotive plastics, soap, shampoo, deodorants, fragrances, hair spray, nail polish, plastic bags, food packaging, garden hoses, inflatable toys, blood-storage bags and intravenous medical tubing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"They're all around us, in food, in household dust and in products, but they're invisible." -Shanna Swan, University of Rochester Epidemiologist
Research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives by epidemiologist Shanna Swan at the University of Rochester in New York found an association between higher phthalate levels in pregnant women and changes in the genitals in their infant sons that suggest lower concentrations of male hormones and can lead to incomplete testicular descent.
Jim Pirkle, deputy director for science at the CDC's Environmental Health Laboratory, says that while more research must be done to replicate Swan's findings, "The big concern of the phthalates is that they have anti-androgen activity. They get rid of things that are in the testosterone line, the things that make a man a man."
-- In a separate study, Harvard and CDC researchers found that boys in neonatal intensive care units had phthalate levels about 25 times higher than the general population. This is two years after the Food and Drug Administration warned hospitals that phthalate leaching out of plastics used in medical devices carries such a health risk to baby boys that those devices shouldn't be used on babies or on pregnant women carrying male fetuses.
-- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a building block of chemicals used to make stain-, grease- and water-resistant coatings such as Teflon and Gore-Tex. An Environmental Protection Agency scientific advisory panel recently concluded PFOA is a likely carcinogen with liver, breast, pancreatic and testicular cancer of specific concern. The EPA has not yet adopted the finding and has not set acceptable limits.
-- A study released last month by the U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Austin found that runoff from parking lot sealant, used to protect and beautify asphalt, is a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons known to be a likely carcinogen and a possible reproductive toxicant.
-- Research published by Michael Skinner, director of the Center for Reproductive Biology at Washington State University, showed that exposure of rodents to an insecticide called methoxychlor and a fungicide called vinclozolin, both endocrine disruptors, caused changes in mice that affected not just the offspring exposed to the chemical in utero but all males born for at least four subsequent generations.
"If an environmental toxin can cause a transgenerational effect and affect your grandchild, this is a much more major hazard we need to consider in environmental toxins," Skinner says.
Trace Amounts Widespread
Although these chemicals have been widely used since the 1960s, it has been only in the past five or so years that scientists have had tests sensitive enough to measure the extremely low doses present in the environment and our bodies. And they have found that phthalates and PFOA are ubiquitous.
In random sampling of participants in a national health survey, the CDC has found trace amounts of phthalates in all urine tested. In January, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that adults tested in three human biomonitoring studies had trace amounts of PFOA in their bloodstream.
"Certainly, we're concerned about what's happening to adults, but we're especially concerned about developmental exposure of the fetus and young child," Retha Newbold, a developmental endocrinologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, told the Endocrine Society.
"Protective mechanisms that are available to the adult, such as DNA repair, the immune system, detoxification enzymes, liver metabolism and the blood/brain barrier, are not fully functional in the fetus or newborn," Newbold says. "Exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during critical states of development may have permanent consequences, some of which may not be expressed or detected until later in life."
But chemical producers say researchers aren't coming up with "smoking guns," in the words of Sarah Brozena, assistant general counsel to the American Chemistry Council, an industry group. "The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry did this pretty comprehensive review and decided there was no evidence of humans being adversely impacted by environmental exposures to endocrine-active substances," she says.
The past three years have seen significant advances in "epidemiological evidence and the development of animal models" to help understand how endocrine disruptors work, says Kenneth Korach, director of the Environmental Disease and Medicine Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The means of exposure to endocrine disruptors can be difficult to determine. "It's not like smoking was," says Swan, who did the phthalates research. "They're all around us, in food, in household dust and in products, but they're invisible.
"People don't know when they're exposed. Our old epidemiological tools - interviews, looking at medical records and questionnaires - are useless. We have to look at the body. But it's expensive and hard to get people to give blood."
And if figuring out what a tiny amount of one chemical does is hard, researchers say they have almost no idea what happens when many chemicals interact. "Nobody's exposed to one thing," Korach says. "The problem is we haven't done enough yet to look at combinations."
The Big Picture
Of course, each of these studies is only one small piece in a much larger puzzle that still must be filled out, says Earl Gray, a senior research biologist with EPA's endocrinology branch. "There are things that we know for sure," he says. "It's obvious and has been for a long time that there are effects in wildlife due to endocrine-disrupting chemicals."
In humans, the evidence isn't clear-cut: "A single study doesn't create a disaster; it's a hypothesis that needs to be replicated."
Others wonder why compounds are turning up harmful in some studies, while "every test we've ever done in the past says they're inactive," says James Lamb of scientific and engineering consulting firm Blasland, Bouck & Lee Inc.

Monday, January 8, 2007

On a bandwagon...

I have so many things on my mind today that I feel like I am going to burst. : )
With all of the stuff in the news this morning, it just made my head swim!
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When I was a little girl, my parents, my brother, and I would all go for a "Sunday drive" after church & after we had eaten lunch. Funny... I used to really enjoy those drives, but as I got older, I didn't have time for them. Work around the house, laundry, meal planning for the up coming week. But, this weekend, my husband & I and our son, all took a little "Sunday Drive" and it was so nice to just drive through the countryside, looking at the farms & farm animals. Getting away from the daily grind for a few hours, simply to enjoy each others company.

After the drive it made me realize that too many people have fallen into the same trap that I had fallen into... not MAKING time for the little things in life. It seems we are all caught up in the hub-bub of every day living: work, kids, school, ball practice, soccer games, overtime, etcetera... We get too caught up in the goings on around us, that we don't take the time to see how others live.

I am so glad that my husband and I chose to live in the country. We built a house in the country last fall and my son will have the oportunity to view life in a different way. We have several Mennonite families that live in our area and I believe that it is important that he experience friendships with children from different Christian upbringings. I have alway been fascinated by their way of life and the life of the Amish. It amazes me at how simple they live & how complicated most of us have made our lives with all of the technology today. Don't misunderstand me, I mean, technology is a good thing, but I believe that some parents have let it take control over their families. With all of the video games out there that are so violent, I don't see how anyone could say that they are NOT affecting our children. I feel that is "desensitizes" them to the violence and heinousness of certain crimes.

For example: Look at what happened in Richmond, Virginia New Years Day of 2006. 2 men walked into a middle class home and murdered 2 adults and their 2 daughters. The reason that they gave for choosing this particular house, was that the front door was open. The information that was released after the autopsies was grizzly! It makes you wonder what kind of upbringing these men had as children? This was a crime of convenience and a very heinous one at that! Did they have loving homes? Did they grow up knowing that they were loved?

Take a minute or two today and hug your children! When I saw this story in the paper last year, I had a real hard time letting my child sleep in his own room. I wanted to hold on to him every moment of the day. Unfrotunately, my 2 nieces knew the young girls that were murdered and they took it really hard. One is still having issues about it... and it is a year later.

I pray that God blesses all who read this blog today. Watch over everyone and enlighten us to His plan for us.

Friday, January 5, 2007

What have you done for someone else lately?

Did you do something over the holidays that showed someone that Christ loves them?

Several people that I know volunteered at the local Salvation Army Distribution center over the holidays. A few of them had a "not so pleasant" experience, while others really got to see how much they were appreciated.

The ones with the unpleasant experience said that they had a mom that came to pick up gifts for her child and was LIVID and verbally abusive because she did not get the EXACT bicycle that she wanted. This left a really bad taste in my friends mouth for volunteering there ever again.

This was really an opportunity for her to show the love of Christ....not everyone reacts in that way and there is always one or two people in every family that feel like they area entitled to more or better than anyone else.

The ones with the good experience, had a mother thank them profusely for all of the help that she was receiving by getting the gifts for her children. They were not going to have anything else other than what she was getting through Salvation Army. This really made them happy to volunteer.

It has crossed my mind that we tend to do more for others during the holidays than at any other time. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone gave a gift to someone that they did not know on their own birthday instead of receiving presents? This is something that I am implementing with my child. I want him to experience the joy of giving. I know that family members will get him gifts, but he & I will be going shopping for a homeless person or someone that we know is in need. I want him to see the joy that he can bring to others by sharing God's love with them. Especially with those that tend to get overlooked. God doesn't overlook anyone.

I remember one time, my mom was working in a call center and while she & some of her co-workers were waiting in between calls, they knitted & crocheted winter caps for the homeless. How blessed we are to have a roof over our heads and more than a change of clothes.

Each and every person that we meet we should treat as our brother or sister. God loves us all and he didn't hang out with the "Rich and Famous"... He was around the lowly and despised...prostitutes, beggars, lepers and the like.
Christian Gifts Of Faith

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